


Summer Night's Dream

by leeyanatasya



Series: After 2.30 a.m. [5]
Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Light Angst, Short One Shot, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 06:11:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18463106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeyanatasya/pseuds/leeyanatasya
Summary: Summer nights with Dowoon often do feel like a dream. But perhaps that's all they're fated to be.





	Summer Night's Dream

Summer nights with Dowoon often do feel like a dream. 

Perhaps it was fate that put you two on the same late-night shift that first week of summer; the convenience store stays open for 24 hours, yet remains explicably somewhat dead by the time midnight rolls around, leaving you both with nothing better to do than become acquainted with one another. At first glance, Dowoon had appeared quiet and timid, and you’d wondered if he’d make a fun companion for the rest of your shifts together – but that first week proved Dowoon otherwise. 

He was quiet, as you predicted, but gradually seeing you every night had made prying him out of his shell much easier than expected. After a while, Dowoon slowly turned into more than a mere stranger; he’s become the boy who was a drummer for a rookie band, wanting to make it big in the music industry; he’s become the boy who constantly falls over his own two feet and makes you laugh with his endearing little jokes.

Without even noticing, Dowoon has since become a fun companion to have during the rest of your shifts together. And with the time spent with just the two of you after that first month, Dowoon gradually grew into someone you wanted to know better, be it as friends or any other context. Of course, it was difficult to determine whether any sort of feelings were reciprocated, so you took the most obvious route you could – you invited him out late at night, after your shifts had ended; it was a friendly invitation, no other underlying motives, but the excitement within you could barely be controlled when Dowoon had agreed to that first outing at a 24-hour restaurant just a block from the store, where you both talked and hung out until just after 2.30 a.m.

Dowoon had been the one to suggest another outing after that first night came to an end, and before you both knew it the late-night outings have now turned into a weekly routine. Every week, you’ve decided to alternate between each other as to who would get to pick the next hang-out spot; options have always remained limited, so you’ve ended up hanging out at the same places more than once on a number of occasions, but it’s okay – the whole system never was concrete to begin with, and you’ve always been more into the company than the actual venue. Although, it’s been hard to tell whether said company feels the same way. 

Now, after the past few months had come and gone and with only a week of summer left remaining, it is officially your last late-night outing with Dowoon before you both head on your own path. It is officially the last chance you might ever get to tell Dowoon how you feel, before the slim chance of ever meeting again becomes a barrier between the roads you walk on. The minute the clock strikes half past two in the morning, your entire life could be the same or different altogether. The thought of that in itself terrifies you. 

But no turning back. Tonight, you’ve decided to tell Dowoon how you feel – how he responds will remain an uncertainty you can deal with when the time comes. Tonight, it is his turn to pick the location – and he refuses to tell you where you’re headed until you reach the destination.

“You’re not kidnapping me, are you?” you ask, feigning a tone of seriousness that makes Dowoon roll his eyes. 

“I would never. I’ve known you for a few months and you’re already too much to handle,” he answers. You poke your tongue out in annoyance as Dowoon makes a right turn; you sigh as you still remain clueless to where the boy is planning to take you. Your whereabouts aren’t unfamiliar, having lived in the small town your whole life; you’ve figured out that you’re close to the edge of the town, a little farther in distance from your prior locations, but that in itself remains an unbothered factor – your suspicions still lie within the fact that you know this town by heart, but you can’t pinpoint exactly where the drummer might be taking you. As far as you’re concerned, no shops around this area remain open after midnight. Wherever Dowoon’s going, it’s definitely someplace you’re unfamiliar with. 

Dowoon stops the car awhile later, in front of a building you can’t recall ever being there. Perhaps you’ve passed by it before, but in the darkness any recollection of it remains vague. One thing is explicit though; this isn’t a restaurant, and there seems to be no sign of any other human presence. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, staring at the boy beside you in bewilderment; his eyes meet yours as he shuts down the engine. 

“What is it?”

“Dowoon, where the hell are we?”

Dowoon momentarily ignores your question as he opens the car door and getting out; he walks over to your side and opens the door for you, holding out his hand. You hesitate for a moment, not sure if you should take it, and Dowoon lowers his head to level his eyes with yours, his eyebrows raised with amusement. 

“This isn’t a kidnapping.”

“I know. But where are we heading exactly? This place seems awfully dark.”

“We’re heading up to the rooftop.” Dowoon points at the building just opposite the car, and you turn your head to get a better view, though you can barely see much from inside the car. “There’s a rooftop house right up there. It’s my home.”

Dowoon’s words make you sigh in relief, though your heart still remains beating rapidly at the small fact that Dowoon has brought you to his house. You’ve figured the place would be more different than the prior locations, given the specialty of the night, but this is something else entirely. You’re not sure if it means anything – you’re not sure if you should ask. 

Should you ask? 

“Hey, Dowoon – ?” 

“Is – is this okay?” Dowoon interrupts, and you can sense his ears growing red underneath the streetlights. “I mean, are you uncomfortable with this? I wanted to make tonight a little more unique, and the view from the rooftop is really pretty at this hour. I’ve thought about bringing you around for a drink for a while now, but never wanted to take the chance until tonight. If you don’t feel safe, we can go wherever’s still open at this hour. No hard feelings. I promise.”

You stare into Dowoon’s eyes and find the sincerity in the them, a certain glint you’ve observed for some time now. For the past few months you’ve gotten to know Dowoon, there are a number of things you’ve come to realise about him: one; his ears turn red whenever he’s endearingly shy about anything and two; he’s the most genuine person you’ve ever come across. Sure, you don’t know him as well as you could. But you trust him, and so far he has yet to do anything to break said trust.

Your lips form a grin as you nod slowly. “I feel safe. Let’s go see that view.”

You accept Dowoon’s hand and climb out of the car; you close the car door as Dowoon pulls you back with your hand still grasped in his, opening the door of the backseat. 

“What are you – “

He pulls out a large bag filled to the brim with snacks – junk food that’s come to be far too familiar. You sigh in disbelief as Dowoon grins at your reaction. 

“You took snacks from the convenience store? Better have paid for those; my salary’s on the line.”

“Well, consider your money safe then.”

You fight back the widening grin crawling onto your lips as Dowoon leads you towards the flight of stairs up to the rooftop; you climb to the top to find two sole chairs waiting near the railings, but they don’t draw your attention first-hand. What captivates you is the scenic view of the town’s skyline. 

It may not seem much. Perhaps it isn’t even much. In this quaint little town, the view compromises only a number of lit buildings scattered across the skyline, with the rest of it being made up of rows and rows of houses that are in no way lively, the residents inside having turned in for the night. Although, it doesn’t truly matter – because it’s the sky that complements the view and makes its beauty come alive. 

You’ve always admired the night sky before – you’ve spent nights underneath the stars by yourself and with Dowoon – but tonight is different. Tonight, there is a full moon, and it shines brighter from up above than you could ever believe. The stars only add to the scenery, standing out amongst the dark of the night to shine even more light on the quiet little town that is always put to sleep after midnight. Perhaps it isn’t the sleepless cities, perhaps it isn’t the most beautiful view you’ll ever come across – but its simplicity makes it breath-taking in its own way. 

It appears like a summer night’s dream. You turn your head to find Dowoon standing next to you, enjoying the view just as much as you are. 

“Dowoon, it’s stunning.”

“I’m glad you think so. Here, take a seat. We’ve got a lot of hanging out to do before 2.30 a.m. rolls around.”

Dowoon pulls the chair towards you and you sit down, proceeding to grab the beer he offers. Dowoon leans back in his chair and stares towards the night sky, yet you keep your gaze on him. Underneath the night sky with the clock ticking ever so closely to 2.30 a.m., you contemplate telling him now and getting it over with, or saving the confession until the end of the night to prevent the consequence of sheer awkwardness that could ruin a seemingly perfect outing. 

You bite your lip and sigh, averting your gaze back towards the view. You can wait just a while longer. The perfect setting is here; now is just a matter of perfect timing. 

But the perfect timing never comes. 

Time passes by, and soon enough you reach minutes until 2.30 a.m.; you’ve both spent the past few hours talking, admiring the view, reminiscing on the past memories made at the convenience store and the hours after. You’ve spent the few hours laughing your ass off, chuckling at Dowoon’s subtle attempts at jokes and fighting away the words on the tip of your tongue. Now that the end draws near and Dowoon is looking at his watch, telling you how sad it is that the time has quickly passed, you can’t hold it in anymore. 

You open your mouth to tell Dowoon what you’ve been dreading all night, ready to let your feelings out in the open.

“Dowoon – “

“My band got offered a record deal,” Dowoon interrupts, and you clasp your mouth shut as he continues on, “I’m moving to the city in a week. Today was my last day at the store.”

Your mind goes blank as Dowoon bites his lip, hanging his head. His ears go red as you stare at him in bewilderment, barely comprehending the words he’d just uttered. Once you’re able to, however, your emotions are an even more baffling mixture. You feel pride – pride for the boy in a rookie band who’s dreamt of making it big in the city, and is finally having them come to light. Dowoon has always been able to talk about his music for months on end; it’s the one thing he cherishes most. Being offered a record deal must be huge for them, and it’s an opportunity he can’t possibly miss. 

But you’re also hurt. You’re really hurt. 

But you refuse to show it. 

“That – that’s incredible, Dowoon,” you reply finally, trying to conceal the hurt and fury laced within your tone. “I’m really happy for you. Wow, that’s incredible.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to, but I just – “

“Hey! You don’t need to apologise. I’m fine; I mean, I wish you had told me sooner that today was your last day. I would’ve brought a damn cake or something to celebrate – “ 

Dowoon chuckles, and you smile sadly at the sight. “ – but I am happy for you. Congratulations, you deserve this.”

“I’ve been wanting this for so long,” he admits; the sight of how happy he is doesn’t go unnoticed. “Us getting a record deal and making it big in the city – that’s what all five of us have wanted since we can remember, since I can remember. Leaving this town to chase my dream with no regrets. That’s how I’ve always pictured it. To know that it’s actually happening in a number of days is – is like a summer night’s dream.”

Dowoon can barely contain the grin on his face as he talks, the euphoria radiating off of him, and your stomach twist in knots as you feel the exact opposite as he does. 

“No regrets, huh?” you ask, and Dowoon’s gaze meets yours for the nth time that night, the grin faltering as he contemplates your words. His answer comes out in a whisper, his gaze never leaving yours, his ears reddening even further. 

“Maybe – maybe just one regret.”

You nod subtly, biting your lip with hesitation. You were so close to telling him – so close to finding out if he feels the same way. You wonder if you should still tell him; if you should still let him know just so he knows, and forget about the reasons not to and the consequences and just throw rationality off the damn rooftop. There’s no harm in telling him; there’s no awful repercussions that could possibly happen, so why not just do it?

Because you know you shouldn’t. 

Even though you want to say it all out loud – the way you feel about his sudden news of quitting his job and leaving the city and the way you feel about him – you know better than to do so. It’s always been a futile attempt from the start; you have no right to be mad at Dowoon for not telling you sooner. You were a temporary colleague, someone he’s barely even known. If you were anything more, he would have told you sooner. But he didn’t. And you aren’t. 

From the get-go, you and Dowoon were never meant to be anything more than what you are now. That’s a fact you’ve always known; after the summer you’re both heading down different paths, and the sudden appearance of a record deal doesn’t alter the sad truth for the worse – it just makes it all the more real. There may be a bigger wall between your paths now, but that wall has always existed. Finding out that Dowoon is leaving the home you’ve always known has only just made you come to your senses. 

Summer nights with Dowoon often do feel like a dream, because that’s just all they’re fated to be. 

So you keep your mouth shut, and you swallow the words inside. Instead, you glance down at your watch and realise that it is just after 2.30 a.m., and it is best you make your way home. 

“I – I think I should go,” you speak, breaking the silence that had descended. “It’s half past two now, and I’d like to get some sleep before dawn.”

“Oh, of course.” Dowoon shakes his head out of his own daze, and scrambles up from his seat to search for the car keys. You wonder what he was thinking, but like most things for tonight, you don’t ask. 

“Are you sure you’re fine with driving me back?”

“Of course. I’m not letting a friend drive home alone at night. Besides, I don’t trust you to find your way around,” Dowoon jokes, and you roll your eyes in pretend annoyance, ignoring the pang in your heart as you realise tonight’s the last night you’ll ever have these fleeting moments again. 

Dowoon finally finds his keys as you make your way to the flight of stairs, sprinting to catch up with your pace. He stands next to you on the first step, flashing you his ever familiar smile.

“You’re ready to go?”

“I’m really going to miss you, Dowoon.”

The words leave your lips before you can even begin to hesitate; you bite your tongue as they do, wondering what the hell just came over you. It’s just seeing Dowoon there, right next to you in such close proximity, beaming at you with a smile brighter than the moon and stars in the night sky combined. 

Maybe you should know better. But maybe better isn’t necessarily what we believe it to be. 

Dowoon pauses for a moment, a little taken aback by your words, but his response rolls off his tongue without missing a beat. “I’m really going to miss you too. This past summer has been so much fun; getting to know you has been so, so much fun. There’s so much more I want to know about you, so much more time I wish we could spend together. My only regret is – “

He stops and meets your gaze. And you feel your ears redden this time around. 

“You – you know,” he stutters, trying to come up with the words to say. “I know we agreed that tonight would be our final outing, and I guess that’s valid now considering I no longer have to be forced to keep myself up until after midnight – but I still have a week left before I leave, and while it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to, I’m hoping that maybe we can do this again? Tomorrow night. Or the night after. Just whenever you want to, while we still have time.”

Dowoon looks at you with a glint you’ve never seen before; a sense of hope that lingers with his suggestion, wanting you to agree to a few more summer nights, before you part ways for who knows how long. You pretend to contemplate; you pretend to ponder over whether it’s worth enduring more sleepless nights just for more time with the boy in front you; you pretend to act as if you don’t wish to prolong the summer night’s dream for as long as you can, until reality comes to wake you from your slumber. 

You pretend, but the single word leaves your lips without a moment’s hesitation. 

“Yes.”

Dowoon’s grin is the widest you’ve seen it that entire night.   
“That’s great. I’ll see you tomorrow night then?”

“It’s a date.”

“Perfect. Now come on, let me take you home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find more of my works on twitter: @/endlesskyh
> 
> Or curiouscat: curiouscat.me/endlesskyh
> 
> Make sure to check out my other works and the rest of after 2.30 a.m. series as well!


End file.
